His Reluctant Lady (22 page)

Relieved, she decided to accept his
offer and joined him among the other couples. As the music began,
she said, “I gather there’s a reason you asked me to dance with you
when there are many other ladies you could have asked
instead.”

“
Most are already
dancing.”

“
While that’s true, you
could have chosen a few who aren’t. Why me?”

“
Why not you?”

She hid her frustration. The gentleman
was obviously up to something, but what that something was, he
wasn’t willing to say. At least not immediately. “Well, the most
you’ll get is two dances with me, so you might as well make your
time worth it.”

“
So quick with a reply,” he
said, not seeming amused despite the grin on his face. “Does your
husband like that kind of thing?”

She frowned. “Are you concerned about
what Mister Robinson likes or doesn’t like?”

“
I’m making conversation,
nothing more.”

“
All right,” she replied,
her tone hesitant.

“
I should congratulate you
on your marriage. Mister Robinson had mentioned getting married.
His guardian was much relieved, saying it would keep your husband
out of trouble.”

“
It’s not my concern what
Lord Clement says or doesn’t say.”

“
Shouldn’t it be if your
husband has an inclination for getting into trouble?”

She shrugged and turned in time to the
music. “He hasn’t gotten in trouble since I’ve known him. Why?
Should I be worried?”

He chuckled. “You’re married to him,
not me.”

Sensing he was trying to bait her, to
get her to reveal something about Christopher, she asked, “Yes, but
don’t husbands often engage in behaviors that only other gentlemen
know about? If my husband was truly doing something wicked, why
would he tell me?”

“
Even if husbands don’t tell
their wives everything, surely wives would suspect something if he
was up to mischief?”

“
I hate to disappoint you,
my lord, but often the wife is the last one to know.”

“
That might be true of most
wives, but I bet you’re far too intelligent to be made a fool
of.”

“
What are you
implying?”

“
There has to be something
that made you marry him. You were a wealthy widow. He has no title.
He’s not nearly as well off as you are. And he has a rather
impressive reputation for getting in trouble. What can he possibly
offer you?”

She stopped dancing and stared at him,
a sliver of understanding starting to work its way through the
edges of her mind. “Companionship, my lord. Being a widow can be a
lonely existence.”

“
Then why not take a pet?
They have the good sense to stay out of trouble. Or better yet, why
not take a lover? Lovers have the good sense to not take your money
and will leave after you’re satisfied.”

She chuckled. “Leave me satisfied? My,
my, Lord Pennella. All you gentlemen have such lofty opinions of
yourselves, don’t you? From what I heard, the only satisfaction you
leave your mistress is the money you leave her when you’re
done.”

His jaw clenched and she knew her ploy
had worked. She never liked having to respond to subtle
accusations, but she didn’t mind sending out subtle warnings. She
stood her ground, her gaze not wavering one bit as his eyes bore
into hers.

“
I see you’ve met my wife,”
Christopher said as he came up beside her.

Agatha turned her attention to him. “We
were sharing a dance.”

“
It seems your wife believes
she’s clever,” he told Christopher.

She forced a smile, recognizing the
subtle criticism for what it was.

“
Yes,” Christopher replied,
his hand resting gently at her elbow. “I prefer a lady who is
intelligent. There’s never a dull moment when the conversation is
good.” He glanced her way. “My cousin is here.”

She followed his gaze and saw Perry
step into the room, leaning on his cane. “If you’ll excuse me, Lord
Pennella, I have some matchmaking to do with a certain earl and my
sister.” Before he could respond, she walked away from him, careful
not to go too fast in case he assumed she was intimidated by him.
Even if her heart was racing and her palms sweaty, there was no
need to show her uncertainty. Under her breath, she told
Christopher, “I can see why people say it’s not wise to cross Lord
Pennella. He’s not the friendliest gentleman I ever
met.”

“
What did he want?”
Christopher asked, his voice low.

“
I think he knows you told
me about the wager between him and Lord Davenport.”

“
But how? I’ve been
careful.”

“
I’m not sure.” She paused,
just a few feet from Perry who was talking to his friend Nate. With
a glance over her shoulder, she saw that Lord Pennella had turned
his attention to another lady. Relieved, she relaxed. “I’ve been
careful as well.”

“
Should we go
home?”

Scanning the room, she saw Sophie
laughing as she danced with a gentleman. At least the gentleman
wasn’t Mister Landry. That gave Perry an advantage. “I hate to
leave when your cousin has something important to ask my
sister.”

“
The proposal can wait.”
When she shook her head, he led her to the veranda. Once they were
safely away from everyone else, he sat with her on a bench and took
her hand in his. “Agatha, you were shaking back there.”

Her gaze went to him. “No, I
wasn’t.”

“
Don’t worry. No one could
tell by looking at you, but I felt it when I touched your
elbow.”

She grimaced. “I don’t like to be
weak.”

“
You’re not weak. You were
on your guard. There’s a difference. And you should be careful when
you’re around him. He’s not an easy gentleman to deal
with.”

She glanced at the stars, taking
comfort in their calming presence before turning her attention back
to him. “He said you had a tendency to get in trouble.”

“
I thought you already knew
that.”

“
Well, yes, I did. But did
you have any dealings with him?”

He thought over her question for a
moment then nodded. “There was one time when I did. I’d been
drinking and we were gambling. I noticed he was cheating and I
called him out for it. The next thing I know, we’re in a fight and
when I came to, my nose and a couple ribs were broken. Needless to
say, I don’t get drunk anymore. Had I been clear-headed, I would
have known better than to call him out for cheating. That’s one of
the things we know not to do at White’s.”

“
Accuse anyone of cheating
or just him?”

“
Just him.”

She sighed. “I never should have
revealed the wager he and Lord Davenport made.”

“
It’s too late to change
that now.”

“
What do you think he’ll
do?”

He shrugged and squeezed her hand.
“There’s nothing he can do. No one can prove anything. There’s
speculation through White’s as to who let the secret out, and
already the speculation is dying down. Before long, the gossip will
be about something else. All we can do is wait it out.”

With a reluctant nod, she leaned
against him. “I’m sorry.”

“
I’m not. It gave us a
reason to be together.” He kissed her cheek. “Of course, I would
have found another way to be with you if I had to, but this way
made it easier.”

She sighed but smiled, enjoying the
quiet strength he possessed. It was nice being with him. And
sitting here together and talking about what just happened with her
and Lord Pennella made her feel closer to him, as if they were
truly companions.

He cupped her face in his hand and
lowered his head. She closed her eyes, her heart racing in
anticipation. He hadn’t done much to touch or kiss her since they
made their bet, and as his lips met hers, she realized she missed
his advances, at least the hugging and kissing.

Not that the other parts hadn’t been
fine. Actually, the other parts were more than fine. They’d been
pleasurable. And maybe a little more than slightly so. All right.
Definitely more than a little pleasurable. She wondered how long he
could go without making love to her. She figured it couldn’t be
much longer. Maybe a day or two and he’d be coming to her
bedchamber. He did have his pride to protect, after all, and would
restrain himself for as long as possible.

When he ended the kiss, he nodded
toward the ballroom. “I suppose if you have your heart set on
ruining your sister’s chances of marrying Mister Landry, then you
should make sure you get back in there.”

She groaned and stood up. “I’m not
ruining anything. Will you please stop speaking nonsense? Perry is
your cousin. You can’t tell me you think he’s a bad
gentleman.”

“
I didn’t say he was a bad
gentleman.” He rose to his feet. “I said he was boring.”

“
If that’s the case, then
it’s better to be bored than mistreated.”

Before he could argue about Mister
Landry’s character, she hurried into the ballroom.

Chapter Nineteen

“
What’s troubling you?”
Ethan asked Christopher who groaned. “Are you upset because
Agatha’s sister accepted your cousin’s proposal?”

“
No.” Christopher didn’t
move from where he was reclining on the settee in Ethan’s library,
a book lying on the table beside him, unread. “Have you ever done
something you later wished you hadn’t?”

Ethan smirked from where he sat in his
chair. “Sure I do. Every day I wish I hadn’t made the mistake of
introducing myself to you.”

“
Why, you’re just a bundle
of laughs, aren’t you?”

“
I try to be.”

“
Well, you’re
not.”

With a heavy sigh, Ethan closed his
book and turned his full attention to him. “What do you wish you
hadn’t done?”

“
A week ago, I made the
mistake of betting my wife she’d be coming to my bed before I come
to hers.”

“
You did what?”

“
I did it to prove that she
wants to be intimate with me.”

“
Which is why she hasn’t
been to your bed.”

“
I suppose you think you’re
funny.” Ignoring his friend’s shrug, Christopher rolled his eyes.
“I should never have made the bet. I should have known she had a
wall made of steel build around her. Or maybe it’s like she said.
Ladies just don’t need it like gentlemen do.”

At that, Ethan snorted. “Ladies need
it. They just don’t admit it. At least most of them
don’t.”

“
Your wife does?”

“
Well, I don’t mean to
brag,” his lips curled up into a smug smile, “but Catherine’s been
known to come to my bed and initiate lovemaking. Actually, she does
it more often than not. The poor lady can’t keep her hands off
me.”

“
You’re jesting.”

“
I’m not the one groaning on
the couch because I’m not enjoying the bed with my wife. I’m fully
satisfied. Sometimes I’m even worn out. She may not look like it,
but she can be rather demanding.”

Christopher sighed. He wouldn’t mind it
if Agatha wore him out. In fact, he’d welcome it. “Do you prompt
things along to get your wife’s interest?”

“
Prompt things
along?”

“
You know…touch her, kiss
her, tease her but don’t proceed further?”

“
I don’t have to do
anything.”

Christopher’s eyebrows furrowed as he
examined his friend to make sure he was telling him the truth. “You
don’t do anything?”

He didn’t think it was possible, but
Ethan looked even more smug as he said, “No, I don’t. Sometimes I
think she likes the pursuit.”

“
Pursuit? As in she chases
you?”

“
Well, she doesn’t literally
run after me, but I think she likes to convince me to join her in
bed.”

“
Agatha doesn’t have to
convince me. I’ll gladly join her anywhere at anytime.”

“
Maybe that’s your problem.
Stop being so eager. Pretend you’re as uninterested as she is. Give
her a challenge.”

A plan formed in his mind and he
slapped his knee. “All right.” Then, with a sudden burst of
confidence, he hurried out of the townhouse to enact it.

***

Agatha examined her evening gown in the
full-length mirror in her bedchamber. The red dress was one of her
finest gowns, and she chose it because she thought Christopher
might like the color red. It certainly suited him. Passionate,
intense, exhilarating. She figured that as his wife it was only
fitting that she do what she could to look good for him. Gentleman,
after all, did like to look at attractive ladies. She pinched her
cheeks to add color to her face and adjusted her breasts to give
him a better view of her cleavage. She stepped back and turned to
examine her backside.

Christopher knocked on the door
connecting their bedchambers. Her lips curled into a smile. She
didn’t think he could last long without making love. She thought he
would wait until after dinner, but she supposed if he was that
eager, she’d oblige him. It was her duty, after all. Her heart
beating with an excitement that she told herself had nothing to do
with having him in her bed, she hurried to the door and opened
it.